Turnpike rolls out bridge, plaza upgrades | News, Sports, Jobs

The Ohio Turnpike is kicking off its 2021 construction season this month with a $205 million capital improvement program that includes projects throughout northern Ohio.

Among these are bridge deck rehabilitation and replacement in Mahoning County and toll plaza construction in both Mahoning and Trumbull counties.

The turnpike has announced its focus will be on improving safety and making progress on a modernized toll collection system that is scheduled to go live with open-road tolling in the spring of 2023 with all gates removed for E-ZPass customers.

In Mahoning County, westbound and eastbound over Turner Road, and westbound and eastbound over Kirk Road, the bridge decks will be replaced, rehabilitated and widened on both mainline bridges.

Two lanes of traffic will be maintained on the mainline by first using the right lane and outside shoulder, and then traffic will be switched to the new left lane and inside shoulder.

There will be periodic single-lane closures during the course of the project. The work is scheduled to be completed by July 30, 2022. The Ruhlin Co. will complete the work with a contract award amount of $9.3 million.

As for the toll plaza modernization, this project will maintain two lanes of traffic into the existing Eastgate Toll Plaza and reduce travel out of the existing plaza to one lane in a bi-directional work zone. Full-depth excavation and pavement replacement will occur on the eastbound side from mile post 235.9 to mile post 241.26.

Construction on the westbound side will take place in 2022.

Shelly & Sands Inc. was awarded a $39.9 million contract to complete this three-year project, which includes other aspects of the new toll collection system, specifically, the construction of a new open-road tolling lane and the construction of new ramps that will connect to the modernized toll plaza at Eastgate.

The modernized Eastgate Toll Plaza will process tolls on the westbound side only when the new toll collection System goes live in the spring of 2023.

In Trumbull County, too, pavement replacement, new ramps and new toll plaza construction are planned.